


Love Killas: Tales from Seoul's Underworld

by wunderkitt



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, Childhood Memories, Discipline, Explicit Sexual Content, Friends to Lovers, Group dynamics, Hand Jobs, Korean Characters, M/M, Mind/Mood Altering Substances, Multi, Organized Crime, Shameless Smut, Underworld, Violence, mafia, relationship tags added as they occur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:15:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wunderkitt/pseuds/wunderkitt
Summary: A series of semi-chronological glimpses into the violent, tumultuous, and emotional lives of the Monsta X mafia group as they reassert their dominance in the underground world. Is it possible to trust each other or carve out a future for themselves when there are so many lies, secrets, and tangled ties woven between them?
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Ho Hyunju | Jessi, Im Changkyun | I.M & Lee Jooheon, Lee Minhyuk/Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 16
Kudos: 35





	1. Setting/Characters

****

* * *

**SETTING**

* * *

The year is 2020 and the world has turned lawless. Amid ever-increasing natural disasters, constant threats of global war, market crashes, tragedies, and rebellions, a group of men living in Seoul, South Korea have managed to carve out a living for themselves, albeit, not so legally. Experiencing collective trauma tends to bond people, and the Monsta X Group is no exception. Over the last five years, they've lost members, defended their turf countless times, suffered business losses, experienced betrayals, had many close calls, and finally managed to find a fortified hanok-style (traditional Korean home design) house large enough to use as a home base. From the outside, they individually appear to be affluent, charismatic Seoul businessmen, operating their nightclub establishment front, X Club. However, in the shadows and under cover of night they are the most dangerous, unpredictable mafia group South Korea has ever seen. They earned the nickname "love killas" for two reasons: every single one of them is a smooth operator and every single one of them seems to have a sick, giddy taste for blood. The only people who really know them are themselves, and even then, there are secrets lurking among them that have not seen the light. Shaken up by the recent clash between their ex-member, Wonho, and their leader that resulted in the former getting kicked out of the group, Monsta X Group is trying to pick up the pieces and reassert their dominance in the underground world before the rumors of internal weakness spread. They each have their roles and they are ready to show the dark side of Seoul who the real bosses are. This is their story.

* * *

**CHARACTERS**

* * *

**NAME:** Sohn Hyun Woo (손현우)

 **NICKNAME:** Shownu, also Grandpa and "Big Daddy" (by Jooheon and I.M, started as a joke)

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1992/28 

**HEIGHT:** 5' 11"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Gemini/O

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Mafia boss, leader of Monsta X Group

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** Freakishly strong. Sometimes cryptic, sometimes enigmatic. A great leader feared and respected by others, especially his group members. Has a soft side that he only shows a few in private. Regularly eats enough to feed a horse and exercises in a private gym. When he's not coordinating everything behind the scenes, he's probably swimming laps, eating, or sleeping. Used to be a bouncer at the strip club where Minhyuk stripped at. Has an odd habit of picking things up with his feet, which grosses Kihyun out. He's extremely fond of Jooheon and has a hard time disciplining him when he acts out of line or disobeys orders. He prefers food made by Kihyun, especially ramen. Hyungwon and him butt heads pretty often, usually over his leadership decisions. He is always strapped, only leaving his tool at home when he visits his parents. He is an only child and appreciates the new family he has created. **  
**

* * *

**NAME:** Lee Min Hyuk (이민혁)

 **NICKNAME:** Minmoongi, Biphasic, for two reasons: his sexuality (although _not_ a phase) and spending extended time with him often causes a second reaction: annoyance/anger

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1993/27

 **HEIGHT:** 5' 11"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Scorpio/A

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Runner, negotiator, jack-of-all-trades

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** The mood maker of the group. Loud and flashy, can't miss him. Pretty but wiley and a trained fighter. He knew Shownu since they were kids and they're close, despite being complete opposites. The second oldest, but he was almost the last to join the group as it took Shownu a long time to convince him to join the life. Minhyuk loves to tease and flirt with people to the point of them wanting to punch him. Surprisingly talented at art; most of it hanging in the house is his. Has a younger brother who still thinks Minhyuk just works at a club as a manager. Dyes his hair a lot and shops on both sides of the store. Also, a really good dancer because he used to be a male stripper. Favorite color is red and he wears it often. Prone to being lonely and hates being by himself.

* * *

**NAME:** Yoo Ki Hyun (유기현)

 **NICKNAME:** Hamster (he hates this nickname) and Kirange (for the orange hair phase), and "Bullet" (given by Shownu for being small but lethal)

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1993/27

 **HEIGHT:** 5' 9"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Scorpio/Sagittarius cusp, B

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Bookkeeper, Shownu's new right-hand man, manager of X club

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** Sensitive about his height. Small, ambitious, and fierce. Manages the group's business, X Club, Shownu lets him pretty much do whatever he wants, often to loud complaints from the other members of the group. Has a nasty streak when provoked. His older brother manages a similar operation in Japan. Kihyun is an excellent cook (he spent a brief stint as a chef) and an obsessively clean housekeeper (annoying the actual housekeeper) but will chuck the nearest object, hard, at anyone who tries to call him "eomma" (mom) as a joke. Pretends to not have a crush on the leader, but it's pretty obvious. Used to be a taekwondo instructor and likes to remind the youngers of that, physically. Kihyun loves the color blue and the ocean; his room has various tones of it all over. He gets stressed easily and frequently needs to be calmed down in order to not break things. He frequently bosses others around, but also takes care of everyone, tirelessly.

* * *

**NAME:** Lee Ho Seok (이호석)

 **NICKNAME:** Wonho, "Bunny" but also "Beast"

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1993/27

 **HEIGHT:** 5' 10"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Pisces/ B

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Ex-bodyguard and Shownu's former right-hand man

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** Heavyweight, ripped former group member who was the "muscle" with a secret soft side. Shownu recruited him for protection after seeing him destroy an opponent in an underground fight club. Wonho was a loyal, tireless member of the X group. He is known to smile and wait until his enemy makes a mistake, and then he snaps and crushes them. The only time he ever refused orders from Shownu was the last time it happened. Behind closed doors, they argued so violently, it escalted into a room getting destroyed. After that, Wonho was formally expulsed from Monsta X group, but he left in the middle of the night long before Shownu made the announcement in the morning. After some time on his own, he is now working for a rival group. The group members were split down the middle when deciding to let him stay or go, but ultimately, Wonho decided for them anyway. He is afraid of heights, but not anything else. He is trying to forget the group and get on with his life. He used to gym and swim with Shownu and train in taekwondo with Kihyun.

* * *

**NAME:** Chae Hyung Won (채형원)

 **NICKNAME:** "Sleaze", Dooly (for having a round face as a kid), and Mantis (a tribute to his gangly frame and dirty fighting tactics)

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1994/26

 **HEIGHT:** 6'

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Capricorn/O

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** "Cleaner", top moneymaker and bookie

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** Tallest member, attractive, but a vicious bisexual king. Always trying to jokingly get into the members' pants. Sleeps during the day (he will point a gun at anyone who tries to wake him) and works all night. He spent a lot of time traveling all over the world as a model before he did some jail time, got out, and was recruited by Shownu almost immediately for the rumors that preceded him. The younger members are scared of him but will never admit or show it. Hyungwon has atrocious handwriting, causing Kihyun headaches when he turns in accounts. Somehow afraid of spiders, even though he has no problem cleaning up blood and guts. He is the closest to Minhyuk, and they often drink together until they pass out, limbs tangled together on the same couch, snoring. He's a stickler for manners and has been known to slap people for mouthing off. He always carries his cane (which houses a blade) due to an old leg injury in prison, and it only further adds to his "pimp" vibe.

* * *

**NAME:** Lee Joo Heon (이주헌)

 **NICKNAME:** Joohoney (stage name), I.M sometimes calls him "Yeobo" (as a joke) or "Honey-Hyung"

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1994/26

 **HEIGHT:** 5'10"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Libra/O

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Runner, deliveryman, muscle, and occasional rapper at X Club.

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** He is magnetic, witty, and chaotic. Imposing man with a solid build, despite his attractive features and deep dimples (that everyone loves touching). Started out in adulthood as a normal delivery driver working for a large corporation. After successfully pulling off a heist with two of his ex-coworkers so slick that it made with through the underground grapevine, Shownu decided he had to meet him and try to recruit him. After one meeting, Jooheon joined the group. He is not the tallest, but he has enough weight and fighting experience to put anyone on their ass in 30 seconds. His previous jobs included a bouncer, garbage man, and bartender. He was born and raised in Daegu, and the satoori comes out when he's drunk or pissed off. Once the hyungs learned he and I.M could rap, they made them perform at the club and the draw brought so much income, it's a regular occurrence now. Joohoney is the only religious member of the group, besides Kihyun. His constant flirting with anything that moves is one of his trademarks, but it's only I.M who flirts back harder. They are joined at the hip and share a room at the house despite being offered each their own. He speaks Korean and English, just like Changkyun. Outsiders consider him cold and dangerous. Only Monsta X (and his mother) see his more vulnerable side.

* * *

**NAME:** Im Chang Kyun (임창균)

 **NICKNAME:** I.M, called 'Dany' by international friends, Kumiho (meaning 'nine-tailed fox') was his old stage name

 **YEAR BORN/AGE:** 1996/24

 **HEIGHT:** 5'9"

 **SIGN/BLOOD TYPE:** Aquarius/O

 **ROLE IN THE GROUP:** Runner (works with Joohoney) thief, driver, and spy

 **PERSONALITY/TRAITS:** An erotic, low-timber voiced, playful genius. Former sex worker and dancer that swings all ways. He does a lot of the driving and delicate "dirty work" for the group. Jooheon and he often travel on overseas jobs together. He is flawless as a spy because there isn't a human that hasn't at least partially fallen under his spell yet. Changkyun knows how to get what he wants. Interestingly, Shownu found him one night laughing while crying in an alley. After I.M unsuccessfully tried to pickpocket him, Shownu promptly beat the shit out of him and then brought him home to patch him up. Bizarrely, I.M stayed. He's an admitted adrenaline junkie and masochist. The best way to describe his energy is like a big cat - like a leopard or a tiger. Cautious, dangerous, but sometimes turns into a kitten. He has no volume control when he's emotional (angry, happy, or sad), the sounds will hurt your ears. Born in Gwangju, but his Jeolla dialect gives him away only during really great sex. Fluent in English due to traveling constantly growing up due to the nomadic nature of his parents. His favorite place on earth is Osaka, Japan. He prefers to be outdoors and alone. He often bites the leader's biceps because "they're delicious" and Shownu lets him. His favorite color is white, matching his shared minimalistic room with Jooheon. He likes to mess with his hyungs and doesn't think walking around naked is weird. A bit of a pyromaniac. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, readers.  
> This story is going to be in a different format than my previous work (which read like a long novel). This time I want to keep each chapter shorter and slowly build up a background and climactic mood by showing you what Monsta X group is dealing with internally by showing what they do on a day to day basis. Obviously, almost all of this is fiction, however, I will base parts of their personality on their real counterparts and weave a few of my favorite MX real-life moments and events into the plot here and there. If you're a Monsta X fan (and still stan their seventh member), this angsty, dramatic piece of fiction should be perfect for you. Fair warning, it will be graphic and violent due to the nature of the AU. However I am not into gore or traumatizing readers as a writer, so I'll keep it artful, hopefully, and add some detailed head's ups in the beginning chapter notes.  
> I'll work to update at least hopefully once a week with briefer chapters and at least twice a month with longer story segments. Thanks in advance for your support. I can tell this project is going to take over my life already...


	2. Get Down (CK/JH)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a relatively normal evening. The rest of the group is lounging in the main area or smoking on the porch outside, while others clean up from dinner. Perfectly normal. That is until Jooheon wakes up hours later from a deep, accidental post-dinner nap well past midnight and notices that his roommate is not sleeping in their room, nor is he in the house. Thankfully, due to an item being carelessly left out, he knows exactly where he is, and leaves to retrieve him, docile or kicking. It doesn't matter.

_**Numbing the pain for a while will only make it worse when you finally feel it.** _

* * *

There he is.

It's hard to look away, Jooheon admits. No one else can move like he does. He is so in tune with himself and his body, he becomes a black hole when he's like this, sucking everyone else in. 

But he's not supposed to be here. And as much as Jooheon hates denying him something he seems to so clearly enjoy, he's been asked by Shownu to keep Changkyun away from the stage. "That was your old life. We're your new one. Respect it," Shownu had demanded, which fell on deaf ears, of course.

As soon as Jooheon had rubbed the sleep from his eyes that evening, he went to confirm with the others that they hadn't seen him.

"You don't think..." Kihyun had started, sounding nervous. Shownu was out at a meeting, but he'd return home soon. He wouldn't be pleased if he knew.

"Yes, I do, damn it, " Jooheon had swore as he stomped back down the hall. He could hear Minhyuk's and Hyungwon's laughter echoing from the couch,

"Oh, mannn - our little maknae is out shaking his ass again! Ha ha ha".

 _Hyenas. Idiots. Shut up,_ Jooheon thought.

Frustrated, he went to their mutual walk-in closet to get dressed into some street clothes to go look for him. As he was peeling off his t-shirt, he noticed a certain box, roughly shoved under the hanging clothes and instantly knew. He knew that the gray filing box was Changkyun's begrudging holding place for attire from his old life. Lingerie. Toys. Stage costumes. And sure enough, after leaning over to flick the lid off, Jooheon could tell something was clearly missing. 

* * *

So here he is. Once again slowly walking between the tables and booths, feeling the intense baseline make his body thrum, and making it over to the stage. The Monsta X group, with their violent, respect-demanding street cred still, embarrassingly, has a hard time keeping tabs on their youngest member. He lives up to his cat-like reputation, often sneaking out like this. 

I.M's almost bare body is currently lit by an electric pink stage light and he's undulating in sinful, sinful ways to the music as a ring of customers (male and female alike) are watching with rapt attention. It's sensual and mesmerizing. His skin is shining ( _with sweat or oil?_ Jooheon wonders) and the rather intense, studded leather body harness he's wearing over an almost non-existent black thong is...well making blood rush south, against Jooheon's will.

I.M looks like he's in ecstasy. Like he was born to do this. Like this is all he knows.

_Damn, he is sexy, I'll give him that._

Finally, the larger man walks up to the stage and leans in as I.M's back is turned, grabbing his ankle.

It's the bouncer that reacts first, yelling "Hey! No touching," as he pushes through the tables towards Jooheon. 

"He's with me. It's fine," Jooheon yells over the music, ignoring the confused and dirty looks from the customers watching.

"Is that true?" the hulking bouncer asks I.M, who is still dancing, having ripped his leg away from Jooheon immediately. I.M slows down and sluggishly tries to focus on who is talking, pointedly ignoring who grabbed his ankle earlier.

"Techni'ally no..." the beautiful man drawls out, swinging his body slowly around the pole, but he gets interrupted immediately with -

"Changkyun- I swear to god I am gonna -" Jooheon is worked up, growling and very impatient by now. Not just because he's been forced to leave his comfortable bed to corral I.M yet again, but because he's noticed that I.M's eyes aren't really focusing and his speech is slurred. Which means he's probably drunk. Or high. Or both. Which always worries him.

After several seconds of Jooheon boring holes into Changkyun with his eyes, finally the other rolls his eyes and admits,

"Fiiiine. Yeah, 'm his..." the bouncer makes out, barely, over the music. _That was not the question, but whatever._

"Okay, then you two," he points at them, clearly pissed off, "get out. Now."

The Changkyun just leans his head against the pole and grins down at Jooheon, making no move to listen to anyone. His heavily lined eye makeup is smudged and he looks tired. Like he's barely able to stand up, and it's a little heartbreaking.

So Jooheon does what he's often done before and swings his legs up on the platform with a thud, grabbing I.M by the waist and putting him over his shoulder. The sloppy screeching begins (Jooheon always expects it but always forgets how loud the younger can yell) and continues all the way backstage. 

That stupid harness is tearing up Jooheon's shoulder, but he can't let go of I.M's slippery muscled legs and risk cracking the idiot's head on the floor.

Changkyun fights him, halfheartedly clawing at the other's back ( _Ouch_ )and swinging his bare legs until they reach the dressing room. Jooheon throws him down on the couch with a thud. This seems to have woken I.M up a little bit, as he is laying slumped back, a little shocked at the rough treatment.

"I don _know_ what ev'n is the _pro'lem_ J'honey -" he starts to blather on as he tries to sit up, and fails. But the other rapper is having none of it. He's pissed off now. And it has nothing do with the fact that the younger man's long, taut legs are splayed open on the couch, body crisscrossed in black leather straps. _Nope._

"Where are your clothes?" he barks out, causing I.M to flinch.

_How did he even get here in this state?_

Jooheon stomps over to him and yanks him up by the harness, eliciting a pained gasp from the younger.

"Whoa - _heyy_ \- wha're you-" Changkyun slurs, grabbing onto Jooheon's jacket to stay upright.

He doesn't get an answer, just angry silence filled with heavy breathing, the clinking of his harness being roughly, brutishly undone by Jooheon, and the distant thump of the club music.

It was going fine until Jooheon hits a snag. He can't figure out where the release is for the lower half of the body harness. He managed to get it off of I.M's limp, clingy torso, but it's still tight around his hips. Somehow, miraculously, Changkyun becomes aware of what the problem is and volunteers,

"Oh! 's here babe -" he cheerfully tells him, reaching the other's hand down and down his own lithe torse until - 

_Wait, where??_ Jooheon can't believe this man, but it's too late and he's too exhausted to care.

So he holds Changkyun against himself, eyes on the ceiling, as he reaches under his friend's bulge and unsnaps the harness from over his taint. Changkyun makes a breathy, low moan as it happens. Which Jooheon firmly ignores. 

_Jesus, what am I doing?_

While he regularly sees Changkyun's naked body due to the younger's clothes-phobic habits at home, this is somehow still...very uncomfortable. There's something more physically charged for him seeing Changkyun _almost_ naked like this, rather than fully. 

* * *

Later, after Jooheon had managed to wrestle Changkyun into some tight black jeans and his own large black hoodie that he brought from home, they're whipping down the highway, windows open. The occasional lights from the other cars on the mostly deserted highway illuminate I.M's face as he sleeps, head pointed out the window leaning against the headrest. Just like when he drove here, Jooheon is chain-smoking, one elbow over the window, one hand knuckling the wheel, staring straight ahead. 

_I don't understand why he keeps doing this,_ he wonders, _does he miss it that much? Or is it something else?_

If Shownu is still awake when they get back, it's going to be a long night. But he hopes he can just sneak them both in through the back gate and quickly tuck I.M into bed. Like last time. And the times before. But he's not sure, because Kihyun has been non-stop texting him since he left, though he's had no time to look at the messages. 

Knowing how this usually goes, and that he won't get a straight answer out of the man in the passenger seat tonight no matter how much he tries, Jooheon finally just sighs loudly and leans back in his seat, legs spread. His tatted-up fingers flick his cigarette butt out the window and in the review mirror, he watches the ember bounce off sparks on the road before disappearing to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I.M in a [body harness](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/8f/d2/54/8fd254d6848f692b4be4f0912c8c6956.jpg). Yes.  
> [This](https://socialhardware.net/projects/mute/images/mute1.jpeg) and [this](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/93414a_e30186c0915543e2ac1e387e098fab32~mv2.jpg) show you what Changkyun's old nightclub looks like.  
> I decided to put the initials of which characters are the main focus of the chapter in the title. This way, it's easy to find and reread a story. Also, whoever's initials are first, that's whose viewpoint the chapter will feature. Example: MH/JH means we'll be hearing Minhyuk's thoughts as he interacts mainly with Joohoney. See?  
> Here are the initials I'll be using:  
> SN = Shownu  
> MH = Minhyuk  
> KH = Kihyun  
> WH = Wonho  
> HW= Hyungwon  
> JH = Jooheon  
> CK = I.M/Changkyun


	3. Just Stop (KH/SN)

_**The pleasure of criticizing takes away from us the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things.** _

― Jean De La Bruyere 

* * *

Kihyun having a particularly taxing day, thoroughly terrorizing the other members, staff, and unfortunate delivery people. Nothing was going right, no one was doing their jobs. The younger group member's occasionally endearing mistakes, today, were just plain unbearable. He was close to losing it, so many times. He yelled his voice almost hoarse. 

The day ended with everyone else either hiding in their rooms or skipping out just to get away from the fraught, ball of stress Kihyun had become.

In the evening, with a quieter house, and his nerves completely frayed, Kihyun is leaning against the railing in the back porch, pretending not to be fighting back tears. He's physically exhausted and mentally tired. And he's never felt so alone.

_I hate feeling like this. They just don’t understand. No one listens to me. No one respects me._

It’s pouring and water is starting to collect in the low places of the fine pea gravel walkway. He tries to focus on the rain running down the metal bells hanging from the corners of the roof, but his vision is suddenly obscured by tears.

What the other group members don’t know, is that Kihyun hates it too when he gets like this. Sometimes it just overtakes him, this crackling, seething irritation. He doesn’t know why, but he’s always been like this. And, painfully, he’s lost many relationships because of it. Once he gets this way, he's like a runaway train. It always ends in disaster.

Breaking his depressing reflections, Shownu comes up silently behind him, causing Kihyun to jump when the taller appears in his peripherals. Shownu sighs heavily, arms folded, leaning against the rail, and just _looks_ at his right-hand man.

_I'm so embarrassed._

Kihyun doesn’t know what to say. The others probably complained to Shownu, demanding he put him back in line. It’s pointless to try and explain himself now. He's been an irate, irritating terror today and he knows it.

  
So he’s surprised when the deck boards underneath him vibrate and Shownu is now standing behind him, so close he can almost feel his breath. And then the leader reaches out and starts gently rubbing the tension out of his neck and shoulders, as he grips Kihyun’s arm with his other hand.

_Why is he - ?_

But it feels too good to question it or break the moment, so he just closes his eyes, and exhales, enjoying it.

  
After a while, Kihyun turns his head and wipes his eyes, amazed. It feels so good to have the leader’s warm, strong hand pushing the tension out of him. To be taken care of like this. 

  
Then they talk and Shownu listens carefully, nodding as Kihyun shares his side of the account of the day. Shownu tries to gently suggest ways Kihyun could try to understand the other members’ feelings and struggles, but almost instantly, the smaller man gets worked up, nerves a still a little too raw, volume increasing over the rain -

“No! You don’t understand! They’re not -”

Ah, but the one thing Shownu strictly does _not_ tolerate is anyone raising their voice at him.

Kihyun didn’t mean to do it, but after a panicked split second, he can feel that it’s already too late.

The leader immediately snaps his smaller body sideways by gripping his throat with his whole hand and pulls him harshly back against him. Leaning down to his ear, Shownu growls out, “Kihyun, _stop it_ ,” low and intensely. 

Kihyun’s body stiffens as his heart pounds so fast he feels sick. _I fucked up._

Somehow, he had forgotten that the same charismatic, caring leader he sees every day is the same person known to beat his opponents to a pulp, with the very same veined hand now wrapped tightly around this throat. 

Slowly, Kihyun reaches his fingers up and carefully ghosts them over Shownu’s clenched knuckles. The action causes the older to loosen his grip, bringing his arm down to hold it against Kihyun’s chest.

_He must be able to feel how hard my heart is pounding…_

“...I was wrong, leader,” Kihyun chokes out, just loud enough to hear over the rain.

  
He gets a gruff, “Mm,” as a reply, which rumbles into his own chest. Then, after patting Kihyun’s chest in silent acceptance of his apology, Shownu retreats and walks back into the house.

Just in case someone else is watching, Kihyun carefully grips both hands on the railing to hold himself up, because, without that support, he would have actually fallen to his knees.

He's visibly shaking, experiencing several strong emotions all at once.

 _Does he even know what he's doing to me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two give me all the feels. Height differences.   
> Strong, silent vs strong, vocal personalities.  
> This [gif](https://pa1.narvii.com/6417/8f4502ca3291f06539117d04c61fc0ec65ad6f2a_hq.gif) from one of their photoshoots gave off pretty similar vibes to this chapter. Enjoy.


	4. Get Off (JH/CK)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "After blinking slowly at the ceiling for a few moments, there's a pressing question: How did I get home?  
> And then looking down under the covers: Who put actual pajamas on me?"
> 
> Nothing to see here. Just the boys, in bed.

**_The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for._**  
― Bob Marley

* * *

It became a ritual somehow.

It really should not have, but it did.

Almost every morning, like clockwork, Changkyun takes care of himself by jacking off in his bed.

To be precise, it is at least _after_ Jooheon has already woken up and left the room.

But it’s not luck that Jooheon always manages to stay away while washing up in their en suite bathroom _just_ long enough for Changkyun to finish.

No, he is _extremely_ well aware of what the younger’s morning habit by now, having almost walked back in on him one day, bleary-eyed, towel around his waist, and catching an eyeful through a crack in the doorway and an earful of quiet moans. 

_I know WAY too much about him, that’s for sure._

To be fair, they aren’t any kind of normal roommates and never were. And Changkyun definitely sets the tone for their whatever-this-is, not that Jooheon minds it. Anyone can see they've got... a different connection than just "coworkers".

But when Jooheon accidentally let slip a hint that he knew one night while trying to make a joke, the ritual changed. He remembers that they were drinking on a sidewalk after a job, buzzed. After Jooheon's comment, Changkyun had frozen, beer in hand, for a few seconds. They looked at each other but then continued on like nothing happened.

Now, “just don’t get it on the covers,” or some other form of that kind of quip is what Jooheon usually tosses at him before heading for his morning shower, “you know you’re never the one that washes them. Spare the poor housekeeper, dude.”

This usually gets him an embarrassed chuckle with a middle finger salute, but there's never any ire to the gesture. 

What the younger doesn’t know is that his hyung had started jacking off in their shared shower at the same time while Changkyun is still in the room, chasing his own release. And neither one is imagining a stranger or ex while they do it. No, the real mental inspirations for those morning sessions are on either side of that door separating them.

They don't talk about it.

If anyone found out, the excuse could be, they’re both humans and just, well...horny.

_Whatever. We’re not doing it together, technically. So there's no damage, right?_

* * *

It's the morning after that latest late-night game of furious, beefy cat catching slippery, perverted mouse. 

Changkyun’s mind slowly brings him back to consciousness. A little too harshly.

_Fuck, my head._

It's dead silent in the house, with the bluish very early morning light shining in through the floor-length white curtains onto the wooden floor and white duvet of his bed.

He’s sore like he was bodyslammed. And his mouth feels super dry and disgusting. 

After blinking slowly at the ceiling for a few moments, there's a pressing question: _How did I get home?_

And then looking down under the covers: _Who put actual fucking pajamas on me?_ Au natural is his usual sleep preference.

He finds no answers to that line of questioning in his memory and so he just stretches his limbs out, moaning.

That’s when he feels heat coming from the other side of his bed. 

_Who is -_

There is a head of bright, dyed hair sticking up everywhere and a very familiar face. 

_Oh, it’s Jooheon._

Laying on his side, pillow bunched under his head, breathing low and slow, is the larger man who clearly must have brought him home last night.

He looks almost peaceful, like a child, if you don’t count the dark circles under his eyes and the shadow of a beard starting.

Changkyun nestles his own head back into his pillow and lays there, watching the other sleep, before drifting back off himself.

* * *

_What a rude way to wake up, Jesus._

"You - uhn - put - me through - so much - ah - fucking trouble - last night."

Jooheon has ripped Changkyun from his slumber and is punctuating each angry word with jabs from his fingers into the flesh of Changkyun's sides, arms, and legs. Roughhousing is normal; it's another form of affection between them. _But damn, it's too early for this._

The younger is groaning now, trying to grip his roommate's hands, “No, no noo _uhhh-!_ ”

Now Jooheon starts exaggeratedly panting into the crook of I.M's neck, making him shudder and squirm to get away.

It only takes a few very heavy-handed smacks to the younger's ass before the real screaming begins. Jooheon takes pleasure in spanking Changkyun like that. The reaction is always too good to not.

Exhausted and out of breath, suddenly Changkyun's voice goes back down to his lowest, growling out, "Get _off_ of me," in an attempt to catch his breath.

“Nope,” Jooheon snaps back, popping the _p_ sound right into his ear. Changkyun isn't laughing anymore, cussing freely and loudly now.

Perhaps too late, after realizing he'll only get into more trouble if his roommate doesn't fucking _shut the hell up_ , Jooheon slaps his hand over Changkyun's mouth.

Yanking Changkyun's head back with one hand and grasping his stomach tight with the other, Jooheon pulls him flush to himself.

"Mmmph!"

He tries to slow them both down by whispering, "Shhhh, babe, you'll wake the others."

Changkyun fights his hold for a few more seconds, but he's honestly wiped out so instead he just slowly relaxes his body.

Starting to breathe normally again, he reaches up to hold onto Jooheon's arm wrapped around his torso.

 _Clingy baby_ , Jooheon smirks internally.

After a while of just the two of them breathing side by side, essentially spooning, under the covers -

"Mm mmmm m mm m mm."

"Wha's that?" Jooheon chuckles.

He gets his hand pulled away, now damp from Changkyun's mouth, and hears -

"I said, your dick is poking my ass."

_Well shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write. I have no idea what tropes there are for mafia world AUs, but we're making up new ones as we go, folks! This one is "the-morning-after-a-runaway-and-his-captor-cuddle-in-bed-until-oops-awkward-boner" trope?? Lol, sorry.  
> Also, somehow accidentally posted a Chapter 5 before a Chapter 4 (this one)?  
> Weird, didn't know that was possible. 
> 
> [This](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/03/nuwa-hotel-interiors-guesthouse-seoul-south-korea-z-lab_dezeen_2364_col_26.jpg) is something like how I imagined Changkyun and Jooheon's shared room. A lot of wood, white, and natural materials; clothes and tech tucked away.  
> And [here](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWnc4aOU4AIz-xL.jpg) is actual JooKyun cuddling, guaranteed to make your heart melt.


	5. Good Boy (SN/KH)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was definitely a turning point for Shownu as a leader once he had realized, that at least with Kihyun, this kind of thing was a more effective method of discipline than violence. And the other members of the group couldn't be more relieved.  
> [Note: Feels like dubcon, but it's not. Just an inevitable push and pull interaction.]

**_The pleasure of living and the pleasure of the orgasm are identical. Extreme orgasm anxiety forms the basis of the general fear of life._ **

― Wilhelm Reich

* * *

Kihyun is busy cooking in the kitchen, while Shownu sits on a barstool on the other side of the island, snacking on side dishes as he waits for lunch.

He's watching Kihyun.

Before the other night happened, Kihyun would have been able to manage the older man's pointed gaze at him while working in an otherwise silent kitchen with no problem.

But now, it's just unsettling.

Kihyun clears his throat and scapes the sliced tofu from his cutting board into the pot of kimchi jjigae. The only sounds are the bubbling of the stew, small clinks of Shownu’s chopsticks grabbing more bites, and the thumps of Kihyun’s knife. He feels like someone else could hear his heart pounding in his chest, but they couldn’t.

Breaking the silence with a metaphorical sledgehammer, Jooheon bounds in with I.M in tow, arms slung around each others' necks, talking about something in English and laughing, way too loudly. 

They briefly straighten up and sit at the counter to report to Shownu how their job went and after getting an approving nod from their leader, they promptly move to steal bites from an annoyed Kihyun’s carefully laid out ingredients spread on the island. Unfortunately, the older one is used to such behavior and lets it slide.

But then they make the critical error of sticking around just long enough to tease the shorter member about his height, something about “are you _sure_ we can’t get you a step stool, hyung?” They promptly get chased out of the room cackling but not before almost getting smacked in the backs by a full salt pinch bowl being thrown at their heads. It hits somewhere high on the wall, shattering and spraying salt everywhere. 

There’s a new dent, to match the others just like it, on the adjacent wall. _I'll....get that later_ , Kihyun adds internally.

He exhales, frustrated, and heads back to the stove. He stirs the jjigae for few seconds before he suddenly realizes something and slowly sends a hesitant look over to Shownu.

_Shit._

Disconcertingly, the taller man’s face is rather placid and he simply gets up to put his dishes in the sink. 

_What? That’s it?_

Oh no, it’s not.

The leader wipes his hands on a towel laying on the counter and walks over to Kihyun, who is distractedly chopping more vegetables in the corner. 

He makes a half-ditched attempt to try and flee, “Maybe I should ju-” but it's very much _too late_. 

Shownu flips him back around by his shoulders to face the cabinets, causing both hands to slap the counter. He has him trapped in the corner now.

Kihyun waits, breathing erratic.

Shownu just sighs, moving the hair on the top of his head and sending shivers down his back.

Then he calmly, slowly intones, "They're annoying, sometimes...sure."

Shownu’s hands start undoing his apron ties-

_Um.._

"Even I have been _this_ close to bending them over my knee a few times-" 

_That's a mental image_.

Now one of Shownu’s hands is reaching under the front of the loose apron, 

Kihyun starts real and truly panicking as Shownu’s larger body wraps around him. He tries to fight the movements of the other’s arms but fails. Shownu has never lost an arm-wrestling contest, it's pointless.

“But you know, Kihyun-" 

Large, deft fingers start to undo the belt at the smaller’s waist. 

"W-wait! Shownu, what _ah_ -", but said person ignores him, continuing to open the crotch of the other man's pants while almost painfully pressing his hip bones against the edges of the counter. 

"I'm getting a little bit tired by now - _hm_ -" Shownu adds, as he finally gets the button undone.

 _It's not that I haven't imagined something like this happening before, but does it have to be_ here _? What if-_

"Leader! _N_ _gah_ -"

He makes one last half-hearted attempt to push the others' arms away and then his underwear gets shoved down his thighs. 

"- of fixing all those _fucking_ holes in the wall," Shownu finishes, right into the other’s ear, making him shiver and slam his eyes shut. 

Kihyun is gone by now. 

The bookkeeper’s now fully hard dick is out in the air, tenting the apron, in the middle of the day, with his boss’ body pushed flush against his back, and the other’s fingers hovering inches away. 

_What the fuck is even happening right now..._

Then the unthinkable continues to happen as Shownu reaches over him and pours oil from the carafe they keep on the counter onto his own hand as Kihyun watches. 

He lifts the apron with the other and reaches down, in the corner of the kitchen, where anyone could walk in, and grasps him.

Kihyn unsuccessfully tries to stifle a moan.

It echoes and fades.

And then Shownu moves his hand. 

Kihyun has practically astral projected at this point. Still clutching Shownu, he is now being slowly, firmly jacked off by the leader, barely hidden from sight by the others' large frame in the middle of their shared kitchen.

There’s only one way this could end, and so it does, barely a minute later, as Kihyun bites his own hand, the other one shaking as he tries to prop himself above the counter. And then he’s painting the inside of the apron with his own cum, gasping. 

Shownu finally lets him go and drags his clean hand across Kihyun's chest, holding him. This time gently, he reaches up to wrap the same hand around his throat and says, “ _Good boy_.” 

Kihyun almost passes out.

* * *

Later, Shownu can hear snippets of the other group members' conversation down the hall as they eat the meal Kihyun prepared earlier. Who hasn't left his room for the last hour or so, by the way.

"Hey, anyone else noticed that Kihyun is suddenly like... _really nice_ today?" 

“Dude! It's really creepy. I don’t trust it..." 

“Seems fake. Just wait, he'll be back to his old self tomorrow." 

"Yeah, probably so." 

But then youngest adds, a knowing lilt to his low voice, "....but isn't it also kind of nice? He seems happier. Less stressed."

There's a pause, and then a few members reluctantly agree.

Down the hall, Shownu has to smile to himself in his office. He looks down to observe the faint scratches on his arms and thinks,

_Yeah, it's because I finally found the trick to tame him. Turns out Kihyun will listen to anything I say as long as my hands are on him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, is it hot in here? Just me? Huh, okay.  
> But seriously... I promise I'll get to Minhyuk and Hyungwon (and even a glimpse of what our muscle baby, Wonho, is up to) very soon. I just had a lot of Showki and JooKyun rattling around in my head and had to get it out first. And I'm realizing I should maybe introduce the other staff too (they have several guards, a housekeeper, an actual driver, and a contracted fixer). Also, please be aware, I mean I am obviously not nor ever have been a member of a mafia, so this is for sure all fiction. But hopefully, I'm painting a semi-accurate scene enough to still interest you all. (But we all know what the content we're actually here for is, haha.)  
> [This](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-w/06/a2/bf/c7/living-room-and-kitchen.jpg) what I imagine their kitchen looks like.  
> Oh, and kimchi jjigae (a Korean stew kimchi and tofu) looks like [this](https://c.tenor.com/x1QYbgyuV-kAAAAC/kimchi-chigae-kimchi-jjigae.gif) by the way. It's one of my favorite dishes.


	6. Not Fine (SN/MH)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes old memories make it a little more painful to breathe in the present. Having someone always by your side does seem to make it easier though - even if they're the cause of that pain.

**__ **

**_What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies._**  
― Aristotle

* * *

> _“Minmin, you’re so pretty.”_
> 
> _The child blinks, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, a light goes off in his eyes._
> 
> _“Then ppoppo, hyung!” leaning up on his tiptoes, clutching the other's arms._
> 
> _The other boy just grins at him fondly before leaning down…_

It was a bizarre memory to suddenly be recalling at this moment. Inappropriate to the gravity of the situation and very distracting. But Shownu can’t help but relive the scene as he watches the now fully grown person’s same lips being used to carefully handle verbal negotiations with their currently extremely on-edge client. 

Minhyuk, in the right light, is just as confusingly captivating as the first day he met him on their small neighborhood playground as kids. Young Shownu had actually thought the other was a girl at first, owing to someone's very bohemian decision to let him grow his locks out. The soft, auburn brown hair used to curl long around his ears and neck. Besides that, he was wearing a baby blue oversized t-shirt with flowers on it over pink leggings when he met Shownu for the first time. Minhyuk was indeed a lovely child, very giggly and bright. Shownu remembers being confused but smitten all the same.

Now, with almost a decade of blood, sweat, (and some tears) under their belts, Shownu’s childhood friend has a sharper edge to him even if the essence is the same. Lately, however, he has started to notice a too-quiet, slightly weary demeanor in his friend and underling. Often, Minhyuk appears disconnected during their conversations, like his mind is elsewhere, or he's tired. It makes Shownu’s chest hurt and he wonders what exactly has changed. 

* * *

“We understand, sir, but we must insist that the current terms be respected. The timetable for deliveries will be kept, and remain on schedule, as agreed upon.” 

Minhyuk’s voice has a measured, polite, but immovable tone to it. He’s leaning forward in his chair, folded hands on the table, holding eye contact with the client.

The client, a much shorter man, is one of their regular buyers. He’s known to be dangerous, fickle, and not so bright. He proved his reputation true today when he suddenly called up asking for a meeting with the head of Monsta X group. When Minhyuk relayed the request to Shownu, they both knew this abrupt request couldn’t mean anything except another headache for them, and their instincts were right. Since they sat down together at the already prepared table in a lavish, private room at one of their regular restaurants, the man had not stopped talking. Shownu’s patience was wearing thin, but you wouldn't know it from looking at him. Minhyuk kept his poise, as always.

“Frankly, I don’t _care_ what we agreed upon I -”

“But sir, you signed a contract.”

“Doesn’t matter!”

“It does.”

“Well, I want to change it! The old schedule is costing me - it just doesn't work anymore.”

“I’m afraid, Mr. Soto, that would be impossible-”

Shownu greatly dislikes the volume the buyer has chosen to ratchet this meeting up to and expresses it nonverbally, by leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and taut Armani silk suit stretching over his muscles. Minhyuk, the astute man he is, instantly knows what that means and attempts to bring the exchange back down with a lower tone -

“Mr. Soto, we understand your feelings, but the contract still stands. So if there’s nothing else -”

Unfortunately, this has the exact opposite effect of calming him down, and instead, he stands up and bellows,

“Fuck you bitch! You’re both going to-”

But he doesn’t get anything else out because everyone else in the room flinches when the leader smacks the table so hard, utensils jump, dishes crash to the ground, and a pitcher gets knocked over, splashing water everywhere. Shownu stands up, towering over the other man. Minhyuk’s heart is pounding and his palms start sweating.

In his first and only smart move of the day, the client slowly sinks back down with bugged-out eyes and a red face, clearly shaken.

Minhyuk holds himself so, so still - just waiting.

Finally, Shownu leans back on his heels and flicks spilled water off of his hands.

As he pulls out his handkerchief, he adds with a clearly immovable tone in his voice,

“ _No one_ talks to one of my subordinates like that.”

The sound of breathing and water dripping off the tablecloth are the only noises in that room. Then -

“Your contract is now void. You got your wish. Leave.”

Like a kicked, wild dog, Mr. Soto angrily gathers his jacket and case, slamming the sliding panel doors closed on the way out. He’ll come to regret that outburst deeply later, as the group supplied him with some of his biggest money-making products. He won't be able to survive without them.

Alone again, and surveying the damage, Minhyuk spits out, “Asshole.”

Shownu just nods and continues using his thin, silk handkerchief to wipe his hands and suit.

“Here”, Minhyuk offers a cloth napkin, “this’ll work better, hyung.”

Gently, he dabs and wipes moisture from Shownu’s waistcoat and sleeves. Shownu just watches his face, looking for signs of emotion. The only hint of the disastrously failed meeting is a slight flush to the younger’s face and ears.

"Min -" he starts.

"I'm fine, promise," Minhyuk answers his nonverbal question.

_But I don't know if you are._

And because he can’t help himself for some reason, Shownu takes one finger and gently strokes Minhyuk’s cheek, wiping a stray drop of water away.

He feels Minhyuk’s hands shake and clutch his torso before stilling.

Neither moves, heads next to each other, just breathing.

Minhyuk clears his throat to look up at his leader, eyes unreadable, “Fuck him. We don’t need trash clientele like that anyway.” 

And then the moment is gone, as quickly as it came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two, I swear.  
> And no one panic! Minhyuk and Shownu just go way back. It's complicated.  
> For further evidence of their indescribably soft-hyung/dongsaeng-energy see: [this](https://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/40600000/Shownu-and-Minhyuk-monsta-x-40615159-268-268.gif), [this](https://pa1.narvii.com/6243/7c2d0b0d4f1465633ae8d63fc083b67dde3b7f28_00.gif), and [this](https://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/40600000/Shownu-and-Minhyuk-monsta-x-40612701-268-268.gif).  
> Oh, and "ppoppo" refers to 뽀뽀 a small kiss or peck; usually non-romantic.  
> I think I decided to pattern the chapters this way: emotional, then violent, then sexy. Shuffle and repeat. We'll see.


	7. Kill Joy (HW/CK/JH)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out there's only a certain amount of time you can spend indulging in your hobbies before your roommates start to notice. Unlike for infinite values, this limit does exist.

_**You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.** _

* * *

_What is that sound?_

Jooheon had returned early to the house, finished driving a shipment over to one of their contacts' warehouses. Then he had to help unload it because the underlings there were real entitled pieces of work. Finally, one sweating un-air-conditioned ride in an old box truck later, he's back to home base. As he drops his shoes in the front room and slips on his house shoes, there's a sound. A sound not normally in the house. Jooheon focuses for a second, hand leaning against the doorframe and focuses. It's coming from down the hallway. 

Finally, the reality snaps into his cognition. _Wait, that’s Changkyun and it sounds like someone is beating the shit out of him!_ There’s a sickening sound of a hard object hitting flesh _over and over and over_ despite begging, sobbing.

Jooheon sees red and pounds down the hall, shaking art on the walls as he goes. He rounds the corner only to suddenly realize the slaps and moans are coming from his and I.M's shared room _. Fucker._

_Does this bastard think he can break in here, abuse their youngest and get away with it? Oh, fuck no -_

Jooheon immediately and viciously kicks the unlatched door open and sees his roommate. Changkyun is completed naked, body contorted by knotted ropes, and his entire backside red and swollen. 

Jooheon is in shock. Then he noticed the figure with a cane poised above his roommate, ready to strike again.

Something snaps in the driver. He charges into the room and immediately kicks the back of the sick bastard’s knee and sweeps his legs knocking him to the ground, groaning, before he has time to even turn around.

“Fuck!” The man yells from the floor, groaning and looking up for an explanation from his sudden abuser. _Jooheon?!_

He yells out, “What the hell are you doing -”

But said person is too focused on the limp, moaning figure laying face down on the bed.

He climbs on the bed to kneel next to Changkyun’s body and clutches his bare waist, almost (almost) scared. Jooheon starts undoing his tied-up arms, asks, “Shit, Changkyun, are you okay?”

One slow, judgy moment later, I.M just breathes out, “... _yes_ , Jooheon, I’m alright.”

He swivels to lay his head on the covers and meet the other man’s confused gaze and adds, “I _asked_ Hyungwon to do this.”

"What?"

His roommate doesn't quite process the statements being made to him.

_Asked? Who? This?_

Changkyun sighs, gesturing with his shoulder, "It's called shibari. I like it. It's okay, Joohoney."

His roommate leans back to observe Changkyun’s flushed, tear-stained face, his red, whipped thighs and asscheeks, his skin crossed (with what looks like) painfully tight rope, and finally, he drags his gaze to the grinning, nodding fully-suited culprit sitting on the floor...

Hyungwon, indeed. He chuckles and keeping rubbing his poor legs.

Jooheon can't reconcile what this is to what he thought it was. A few seconds go by in silence, and then he spits out -

"Wait...you _like_ this?"

...and that’s how Jooheon realizes that Changkyun (their little masochist) had partnered with Hyungwon (resident sadist) for what appears to be a fully-consensual afternoon BDSM session. 

* * *

Jooheon has backed off of CHangkyun now to stand in the middle of the room, still pretty stunned. _I had no idea... like, damn._

After Hyungwon had freed a few initial knots for the still very bare, slightly panting Changkyun, he was able to finish extricating himself from the black braided rope that was tying him up.

Obviously, Jooheon can't look away. It has less to do with the fact that, from this angle, he can see almost _everything_ and more to do with finally seeing with his own two eyeballs sexual proclivities that he was vaguely aware of I.M already professing interest in.

Seeing is more than believing, it's arousing and jarring. 

Hyungwon slowly groans his way off of the floor and goes to sit on Jooheon’s bed, watching the scene with an amused smile. 

Finally, after I.M frees himself (and Jooheon darts his eyes away) he saunters over to the door. But not before something happens, causing him to groan ‘dammit’ and halt.

“Hand me that would you?” he asks Hyungwon, motioning to a towel hanging off of the hamper next to the bed. Hyungwon tosses it to him and then Changkyun further confuses and shocks his roommate by wiping something up and off of his sensitive, reddened ass with a hiss. 

Then he chucks the towel back in the hamper (like nothing happened) and leaves the room. Jooheon closes his eyes and makes a garbled sound.

_I hadn’t noticed any -_

_Something had dripped - ?_

Now alone with Hyungwon, Jooheon tries to get out, “What was - wait - why-”

“That?” Hyungwon chuckles, "It was probably lube." He is clearly enjoying this flabbergasted, innocent reaction to the afternoon’s events. Jooheon chokes on his spit, looking like he wants to kill Hyungwon but also die from shame.

"Explain," he grits out, staring at the wall.

“Well," Hyungwon continues, "before you so _rudely_ interrupted our fun, I was going to _fuck_ him -”

Jooheon’s head snaps around.

“- like he _asked_ me to -”

Jooheon’s face freezes, darkening in disbelief right as the other man finishes,

“- with my _cane_.”

* * *

Down the hall, gingerly bending over the bathtub to check the water temperature, Changkyun can hear Jooheon lose his goddamn mind. 

_“ - ck him with your WHAAAT???”_

"Cute," Changkyun says out loud, smirking, before shutting the water off and carefully lowering himself in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please explain yourselves, boys.  
> I mean but seriously, I'll be the first to admit it: Im Chang Kyun intimidates the hell out of me. I'm several years old than him, but if we ever happened to meet, I know my palms would be sweating (and I'd probably be aroused). He's just that magnetic. Like damn, boy.  
> [Here he is](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/e1/0a/7c/e10a7c96642f508a53986d713cfd46be.jpg) after Joohoney ruined his fun.
> 
> Also, I am not a BDSM expert, so if I messed up, just drop a comment and I'll amend it! If you're curious about shibari [read more about it here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_bondage)
> 
> New chapter coming later this week because what better to get through holiday family chit chat than surreptitiously scrolling through AO3??


	8. Wait What (HW/Jessi, SN/KH)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's only the next afternoon, shortly after waking up and a few things click into place mentally for him, that Hyungwon realizes what the youngest was implying.
> 
> "Wait...  
>  ...what?" 
> 
> Or, things are progressing for the X group, on all fronts. Let's sit back and enjoy the show, folks.

_**“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”** _

* * *

Mr. Soto was threatening to go public. I caught word of it, called Hyungwon, and we...fixed it. He won't be an issue anymore." 

The implications are pretty clear. The actual outcome of said "fixing" is very much not. The only clue is some dark stains on Hyongwon's gloves and a satisfied smirk on their fixer's face.

In times like this, Kihyun wonders just why the _hell_ he listened to that gorgeous man, Son Hyunwoo, to come to join his underground operation. Except - _oh, that's right_ \- it's because the said man was gorgeous and very persuasive.

Kihyun is just grateful he doesn't have to do any of the dirty work himself. But it's still... difficult to stomach or even seen hints about the group's measures to maintain standing, sometimes.

He's brought back to the present as Shownu unfolds his arms and says one word, "Good," before waving them off and heading to the couch and flicking on the TV. Nonchalant isn't the right word for the leader's attitude to this news...but actually concerned isn't either.

So only Kihyun is left awkwardly standing between the stupidly tall, uncomfortably silent Hyungwon and the group's gorgeous, feisty fixer, Jessi Ho. She's a tour de force in human form and her overt female sex appeal always intimidates Kihyun a little more than he cares to admit. She's beautiful and ruthless; it's a killer combination valuable in this line of business. 

Kihyun carefully looks over at her and clears his throat, opening his mouth to say something -

Hyungwon beats him to it, suddenly clapping his hands together, making the smaller man jump.

"Well if that's all! We'll be just... _not here_.," and with that, he leads Jessi by a long, muscled arm slung low on her waist, hand on her ass, and walks them down the hall towards the back of the house. 

"Uh..." then Kihyun suddenly remembers, "Ohh! Right..." as he blushes.

And this is because he recalls what usually comes next for the two after a bloody, violent altercation. Kihyun beats a hasty retreat to the living room to join the leader.

* * *

"Come here, stick man."

Her thick, curvy legs are glistening in the lamplight and spread wide open on the bed. She's wearing a matching neon pink satin bra and panty set and the sheer brightness of the affair is enough to point the entire neighborhood to her nether regions, _Jesus_.

Hyungwon puts up with her _interesting_ taste in lingerie. It is mesmerizing though, he has trouble looking away. Tanned skin against taut, pink satin.

Her signature long nails on her hands only draw further attention as she clenches them open and shut, motioning for the man to take her invitation on the bed.

Hyungwon is feigning indifference, slowly and delicately pulling off his clothes and folding them over an upholstered chair one by one. He gets just as riled up by violence as the seductive, powerful woman on his bed, but he's less overt about it.

Jessi says, " _that's cuz ya're repressed, mothafucka"_ but he knows it's because Hyungwon likes his carefully curated image. He's developed a sleek, fatal aura over the years and he likes it that way. 

"I don't like being ordered around," he levels out, trying to sound convincing.

Jessi knows him better than that.

"Oh shut the fuck up. Yes, you do, big sexy." 

She laughs loudly and angles her body sidewise, showing off her curves. Luring him in like a bug to a lamp.

Hyungwon's adam's apple moves as he gulps. Jessi notices; seeing everything.

"...now get _over_ here before I change my mind." It's a threat from her; albeit a playful one.

Hyungwon is glaring at the curvy minx on his bed, wondering how he always gets sucked into this. But then all he has to do is look at her, laying almost naked, looking like a plump, luscious flower melting into his bedcovers, with bedroom eyes and .... _yeah, I mean it's pretty obvious._

He unbuttons his shirt, letting the black silk drop to the floor. The air on his dick makes it perk up the rest of the way, unfairly.

Jessi grins at him, very, very smug.

"Tha's right baby, come here."

And as she reaches back to unclasp her bra and Hyungwon remembers, _Oh fuck yes. This is why. No one has a body like hers._

* * *

In the living room, Kihyun suddenly grabs the remote and turns it up several notches by semi-frantically punching the volume up button. Shownu looks over at him, confused, then a few seconds later, amused.

Kihyun won't look at him eyes glued the television, lips drawn tight. He's wedged into his corner of the couch, sitting out of reach and stiff against the cushions. He opens his mouth, closes it, then tries again,

"It's just, they're -"

Shownu just hums, "M- _hm_.."

"I can hea-" Kihyun hesitates, cuts himself off, and then sighs loudly, "nevermind."

The leader is enjoying watching the smaller man flounder and over-explain himself. Shownu chuckles and leans back stretching his arms on the back of the couch.

 _I don't know why I'm still so shy about these things,_ Kihyun chides himself.

He has, unwittingly, accidentally overhead his members doing such things one too many times over the years. After all, it is a house full of mostly men; horny, healthy adults that they all are.

 _Should be old hat by now,_ Kihyun thinks as he closes his eyes, shuddering as he makes out a particularly loud moan, _but it's not._

Especially after participating in that little exhibitionist stunt with the leader in the kitchen the other day. Nothing else had happened since, except the occasional pats of his shoulders or arms by the leader. But Shownu has always been that way with him and the other members. Nothing new there.

No actually, it seems to be the sudden complete _absence_ of close physical contact that's making him worse, more on edge. It feels like the calm before a storm and it scares him a little more than he likes.

* * *

Shownu interrupts Kihyun's musing with a chuckle, laughing at something that happened in the show. _Oh yeah, the show. What were we even watching?_

Kihyun observes the leader watching the show, and feels almost fond when Shownu's eyes disappear as he laughs again. The light from the television is being exceptionally benevolent to the leader's already handsome features, making Kihyun lose his train of thought entirely.

So much so, he doesn't notice until Shownu stops laughing and looks right at him. Feeling like a mouse caught by a cat, Kihyun presses himself against the arm of the couch as Shownu moves his body over towards him.

"Um -" Kihyun gets out before Shownu takes a muscled arm and drags the smaller back over to his side of the couch by his shoulders. 

"Oh, uh..."

Shownu stops Kihyun from his obvious overthinking and pulls him into the crook under his arm.

"Sit still."

_God, when did he start talking to me like I'm a child? and..._

_...why do I like it?_ Kihyun groans a little.

Shownu thinks the smaller's groan is because of the (still going) lewd sounds and adds,

"Just ignore them. It'll be over soon enough anyway."

"Easier said than done," Kihyun mumbles out causing Shownu to grip him once, squeezing, and then let his hand hang down over his shoulder.

_It's hard to focus on - what is this? - Legends of the Outback, while two people are making noises like that a few rooms away._

Especially when you're being held against the side of the man you wish would pull sounds like that out of you. 

_I need to cool it, for fucks sake._

* * *

Later, after the "event" is over and the high-heeled participant already left, Hyungwon is in the kitchen, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips, half-full wine glass in hand, and his silk robe falling open revealing his boxers.

He looks - thoroughly _something_.

And he's staring out into the living room, rather dazed.

"That good, hyung?" Changkyun teases him for his fuzzy, very clearly fucked-out state.

The younger joined him at some point to grab a glass of water while wearing (amazingly) actually at least some boxer shorts. When the older member doesn't respond, Changkyun follows his gaze.

_Ah, that._

Their two hyungs have fallen asleep on the sofa, heads tucked together with the flickering light of the show still garbling in the background.

"I called it."

Hyungwon suddenly snaps out of it, "Huh?"

_When did he get here?_

Changkyun just wiggles his eyebrows, while slurping his water and points a painted fingernail at people on the couch. He comes up for air and pants out,

"I - ah - already knew."

But it falls on deaf ears. Hyungwon is still far too blissed out from the rather intense orgasm Jessi wrenched out of him to process anything.

So he just grunts "Uh-huh," and leaves Changkyun to gulp the rest of his water in the kitchen to go smoke on the porch.

* * *

It's only the next afternoon, shortly after waking up and a few things clicking into place mentally for him, that Hyungwon realizes what the youngest was implying.

"Wait...

... _what?_ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cute cute cute and  
> ooooohhh sexy!  
> I love me some ShowKi snugglin' on the couch. But I ALSO love me some long, lanky Hyungwon getting down and dirty with a gorgeous queen like Jessi. Mmnff, yes ma'am.
> 
> Okay, enough for the horniness! I'm going to try to go for more plot heavy, mafia-themed scene next chapter. Wish me luck! The soft and sexy moments are definitely easier for me to write, for sure. Ah well, I committed to this AU, imma do it folks!
> 
> Let me know in the comments who you want to see next! As always, thanks for the feedback you amazing humans. Muah. xx


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